Apparatus for constructing airplane bodies



Patented Dec. l, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING AIRPLANE BODIES 1 Cla-im.

My invention relates to the apparatus for constructing airplane bodies and the objects of my invention are to speed up the manufacture of such bodies as Well as enabling the manufacture of same without employing specially skilled airplane meohanics. Another object is to make the parts interchangeable. Still another object is to speed up production.

I have illustrated my invention on the accompanying sheet of drawings in Which Fig. l is a side elevation of a rolling machine constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the feed roll; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout.

The pressure roll 5 is pivotally mounted at each end in the stationary bearing blocks 6 and 'l rigidly secured tothe overhead frame 8. The pressure roll 9 is pivotally mounted at one end in the block ltl and at the other end in the bearing II which is pivotally secured to the hearing block 'l in such manner that it can swing down and out of the path of the pivot of roll 9 when said roll is swung down about the pivot l2 of block ill. The roll 9 is made large at one end and small at the other end and of course the roll 5 takes the same form, only the ends are reversed so that the pivotal axes of both rolls 5 and 9 are parallel at all times. The roll 9 may be termed the feed roll since the sheet metal to be rolled between the two rolls is fed through between the two rolls by being attached to the roll 9 at one edge. To attach said edge to the roll the sheet is provided with a row of perforations spaced apart to fit over the hooks secured in roll 9. The hooks E3 in roll 5 are arranged in a groove made in the face of the roll for the purpose of having the hooks l3 below the plane of the outside of the roll, as clearly seen in Fig. 3. In operation, the sheet metal plate l is attached to the hooks iii and the roll 9 is turned by manipulating the handle E5. The blank flat sheet M is cut the proper size and shape to completely cover the roll 9 when the same has made one revolution by means of turning the crank t5. The hearing II is then swung down out of the path of the bearing shaft at the small end of roll 9, the crank l is removed, and after the perforations in sheet Ill are detached from the hooks |3 the formed tapering roll of sheet metal is stripped off of roll 9. The meeting edges of the tapering cylinder are then secured together by welding or otherwise.

This cylindrical tapering sheet metal tube forms the body of the airplane Which may be made of thin material and later reinforced by suitable ribs. I havemade provision for rolling circular ribs with this same set of rolls, 5 and 9, to fit the tapering cylindrical body whose manner of forming is described above. The reinforcing ribs may be of any desired shape in cross section, but I prefer to make them T-shape in cross section.

Each rib is cut the proper length to fit once around the roll 9 at the point where it is going to be located in the completed body. The one end of each rib l6 is provided with a hole through which a pin ill is slid to hold the rib to the roll 9. The pin |8 is mounted in the roll 9 in proper position to lock the one end of the rib |6 into its groove formed in the face of roll 9. As the roll 9 is turned by manipulating handle |5 the rib or T-shaped bar 'Hi is pressed into its groove by roll 5 and thus is pressed into the proper shape to fit into the tapered body at its proper location. In Figs. 1 and 2 it will be noted that the grooves IQ extend entirely around the roll 9.

Having thus fully described my invention what I olaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is- A device for preparing sheet metal sections for the making of an airplane fuselage which comprises a rollerI over which a sheet metal blank is to be shaped and a complementary roller adapted to Work the metal blank over the first named roller to form a section, means on the first named roller for temporarily fixing the blank with relation thereto whereby the blank will remain in its. fixed position with relation to the first named roller during the rolling and forming operation, and circumferential grooves formed in the face of the first named roller to accommodate ribs for-the metal blank Whereby the metal blank and the ribs will be simultaneously rolled to a desired shape, and pivotal means associated with one end of the first named roller whereby the first roller may be swung to a clearance position to permit the removal of the metal blank from the first mentioned roller.

ALONZO C. MATHER. 

